Thursday, 5 September 2013

Aurangabad
(meaning "Built by the Throne") is named after the Mughal Emperor
Aurangzeb. The city is a tourist hub, surrounded with many historical
monuments, including the Ajanta Caves and Ellora Caves, The administrative
headquarters of the Aurangabad Division or Marathwada region, Aurangabad is
said to be a City of Gates and the strong presence of these can be felt as one
drives through the city. Recently, Aurangabad has been declared as Tourism
Capital of Maharashtra. It is also one of the fastest growing cities in the
world.

Aurangabad
was founded in 1610 A.D. by Malik Ambar, the Prime Minister of Murtaza Nizam
Shah of Ahmadnagar, on the site of a village called Khadki. He made it his
capital and the men of his army raised their dwellings around it. Within a
decade, Khadki grew into a populous and imposing city. Malik Ambar cherished
strong love and ability for architecture. Aurangabad weekend getaway was
Ambar's architectural achievement and creation. Malik Ambar died in 1626. He
was succeeded by his son Fateh Khan, who changed the name of Khadki to
Fatehnagar. With the capture of Daulatabad previously known as Devagiri by the
imperial troops in 1633, the Nizam Shahi dominions, including Fatehnagar, came
under the possession of the Moghals.

Aurangabad
was a part of Nizam's princely Hyderabad State until its annexation into Indian
Union and thereafter a part of Hyderabad state of India until 1956. In 1956 it
became a part of newly formed bilingual Bombay state and in 1960 it became a
part of Maharashtra state.